Track-laying machine.



0. 0. WBSGOTT.

PATBN'TED MAY 12, 1908.

TRACK LAYING MACHINE. nruoumy FILED 813123. 1907.

rLtlurlanfl muualurqadl WASHINGTON, u c.

aware/whoa srnzrns earner ori rcn CHARLES O. WESOOTT, OF PUYALLUP, WASHINGTON.

TRACK-LAYING MACHINE Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 12, 1908.

Application filed. September 23, 1907. Serial No. 394,146.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES O. WESGOTT, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Puyallup, in the county of Pierce and State of Washington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Track- Laying Machines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to improvements intrack laying machines and is more particularly an improvement in the tie conveyer as used on the track laying machines patented July 10, 1906, No. 825,366 and September 25, 1906, No. 831,757, and has for its objects to transmit the ower used for driving the live rollers on tie cars of the track laying train from one car to the next preceding car so that the entire train of live rolls is driven by the engine mounted on the rear car, and has for its object to provide a flexible connection between the adjacent cars to allow for changes in angle and in distance between the cars. I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a plan showing the ends of two adjacent cars with my improved flexible connection therebetween transmitting the power from one to the other; Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof and Fig. 3 is a side elevation on a reduced scale.

Similar numerals of reference refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

The conveyer used in the last above mentioned atent is illustrated as being driven by an endless cable stretched from one end of the train to the other and mounted in the middle thereof and traveling with its upper side from the rear to the front of the train. In actual practice I have found that this is not the best method of driving the conveyer 'because the train is constantly varying several feet in length, due to differences in grade, and also because the lower returning cable rubs on the decks of the cars and a very considerable amount of friction is developed causing a heavy waste of power. I therefore drive the set of live rollers forming the conveyer on the rear car by means of a suitable sprocket chain 1 mounted on sprocket wheels 2 on the outside of the conveyer frame 3, said sprocket wheels 2 being attached to and driving the live rollers 4. The said chain 1 traveling with its upper side from the rear toward the front and thus turning all the rollers with their upper surfaces toward the front and conveying the ties in that direction.

The forward end roller 4 of the rear car, or of any of the cars, has an additional sprocket wheel 5 secured. thereto on the side opposite to the said sprocket wheel 2 and the rear roller 4 of the nextpreceding car is similarly equipped with a sprocket wheel 5, a connecting power-transmitting sprocket chain 6 extends from the sprocket wheel 5 on the rear car to the sprocket wheel 5 on the forward car, said chain 6 being adapted to transmit the power on its lower side and being sufliciently long to allow the maximum movement between the two cars. Since the power is transmitted on the lower side, this side is taut, and therefore the upper side will be loose. 7

In order to keep the upper side reasonably taut so that the chain will not vibrate too much and be thrown off the sprocket wheels,

lel leaf-springs 8 whose other ends are secured to the forward end of the rear of the two adjacent cars. These springs 8 are made up of several pieces and have quite a considerable amount of movement at their free ends where the wheel 7 is mounted and keep the upper side of the chain 6 reasonably taut in whatever position the cars will ordinarily assume.

Having described my invention, what I claim is:

In a conveyer the combination of a series of conveyer units arranged end to end and each independent of and separated from the adjacent units, the end unit being driven by a prime mover; means connecting the adj a cent ends of said conveyer units and adapted to transmit the motion of said driven conveyer to all of said units, the one from the other, said means comprising an endless chain longer than the normal distance between said conveyer units and transmitting taut to compensate for variations in the disthe motion by its lower side; springs secured tance between said conveyer units. 10 to one end of each of said conveyer units and In testimony whereof I affix my signature extending therefrom about half way to the I in presence of two witnesses.

5 neXt unit and acting substantially Vertically; CHARLES O. WESCOTT.

and flanged wheels mounted on said springs Witnesses: and below the upper sides of said endless W. D. MORELAND,

chains whereby said upper sides are kept A. S. FERGUSON. 

